Something of Us Still Remains
by YourHead
Summary: Carol, a Jüngmadelbund instructor, and Lola, her favorite Jüngmadel, are together in occupied Gdansk, during WW2. However, Carol finds out Lola might not be the daughter of a prestigious Gestapo officer, but adopted from one of the most insidious projects of Nazi Germany: The Lebensborn Program. AU fic based on a stupid meme. Not pro-nazi, they can sod off.
1. I

"Hi, mister! Would you be so kind to donate money for the Winter Relief?"

"Of course I'd donate money, especially if such a cute girl like you asks to!"

"Thanks sir, you are very kind!"

"Oh, don't mind it. All for the good of our nation's people".

"Here, have this booklet as a token of gratitude, from the Young Girls League!"

"Huh, that's nice. Thanks to you too, little girl! What is your name, by the way?".

"My name is Lola Loewe!"

"Well, Ms. Loewe, I have to leave. Just as you, I have very important duties for our nation to attend".

"Good luck, sir. Heil Hitler!"

"Heil Hitler!"

Keeping her arm high and stiff, and a big smile showing her missing tooth, she saw the man in uniform walk away, to lose himself between the populace. She then turned back to see her instructor, as she nodded in approval for her good work. Soon, she'd be a true Jungmädel.

The day kept going in similar exchanges. Putting a couple of coins inside a box, handing out booklets or pictures of the Führer or war heroes, some little cards about the glory of the nation, many made with her own tiny hands. Many other girls were doing the same all around the nation, but it just happened a lot of people liked to help her out of the most, going by what the instructor could see. Must be her perfect azure eyes, both beautiful and penetrating. Maybe it was her porcelain skin, white and immaculate. Maybe it was her brilliant golden hair, which flowed from her pretty head down below the shoulders, like a waterfall. Maybe her face, so perfect nose, rosy cheeks, healthy appearance. Even her smile, missing a lone tooth due to natural changes of age, was radiant and charming. Anybody who saw her would think how she'd grow up to be the ideal woman for the Übermensch. A perfect Aryan beauty, no doubt.

There was one thing that stopped her in her tracks, however, precisely at the final minutes of that day's campaign. She saw a family in front of a house, talking with some policemen. A numerous lot, they were. Inside, three young maiden, looking with a concerned face to a mom and a dad discussing something with the uniformed men, and a brown-haired girl and an almost-white haired boy trying to contain the energetic dancing and playing of a pluckish girl with perfect azure eyes, porcelain skin, brilliant golden hair, perfect nose, rosy cheeks, healthy appearance, and a radiant and charming smile with a missing tooth. The only difference between Lola and that girl was her looking a little dirty and unfitting clothes.

A poor family.

Her instructor noticed her suddenly stopping, standing still in the middle of the way, barely reacting to a passerby throwing a coin. She went to catch her attention, touching her shoulder.

"Lola, dear, what happened?" She asked, in a very endearing tone.

"That family over there", she said, to ask then: "Who are they?".

The instructor squinted in the distance to notice what family was the little Aryan girl pointing at. She didn't notice them at first. They seemed like a normal, if poor, family. They did look familiar, specially that little blond girl the boy was trying to stop from running everywhere. However, she couldn't really recognize them.

"I don't know, girl. Do you know them?"

Lola didn't know what to say. With just a glance, she felt connected with them, but at the same time, they were complete strangers. And that other girl, so playful, and herself, so strict. That girl, so cheerful, and herself, so calm. A reversed reflection.

"No…" She answered, still engrossed by the curious visage.

"Anyways", the instructor said, "it's better for us to leave. We did well today, girl. Now we're heading to your dad's office".

"Right-I mean, yes, ma'am!" She responded, coming back to reality.

"Your father is probably waiting for you already. Grab my hand".

Without hesitation, Lola grabs the hand of her personal instructor. She never saw mom, but Ms. Pinger was almost the same to her already. She was very dedicated to Lola. She knew so many things, and was so beautiful. Lola wanted to be like her.

"Well, now that I see", Ms Pinger said, checking a pocket watch, "it's not as late as I thought. How about I give you a tour through the city before going with your father?"

Lola gasps, excited.

"You know the city?"

"Of course! I came here with your father after the Führer annexed it! It didn't look very good back then, but our workers have done a good job at bringing the German glory here" Ms. Pinger said this with a lot of pride.

Lola was felicitous, and she nodded energetically.

"Let's go then! Thank you ma'am!"

Ms. Pinger just giggled at that sudden burst of happiness Lola was having. It was OK, maybe. A lot of the time, Lola tried to be the perfect girl, the kind adults want. Quiet, responsible, blindly following a belief. Maybe Lola needed a space where she could just be a little child. The kid would learn to love the nation as much as she did, eventually. Now, she could be just another ten year old.

"We're not on duty now, Lola", Ms. Pinger says to her, taking off her hat and holding it under her free arm. "You can call me Carol while we're alone".

Lola smiled to her, with that radiant smile with a missing star.

"OK, Ms. Carol!"

"No Miss, sweetie. 'Carol' is fine", she explains to the Aryan girl, smiling. "But only when we're alone, OK?"

"Understood…!" She doubted a little, trying to not say the honorific. "Carol!"

"There you go. Come now, let's see what Danzig has to offer".

And so, they started to walk the streets, but not before Lola turned her head once more, to see that other girl. Her mom and dad weren't there anymore, it seems. She seemed confused, as the white-haired boy tried to explain something to her.

And suddenly, they were lost in the distance.

Ms. Pinger stayed for dinner at the office of Lola's father. The workers were celebrating something, but Lola didn't really pay attention to that. Her dad and Ms. Pinger would have dinner at a personal room, anyways.

She was distracted, playing with the Kartoffelsalat, and didn't even touch the Bratwurst. Her dad noticed that demeanor. He gesticulated a silent conversation with Ms. Pinger, but she shrugged, unaware of what was keeping Lola's mind busy.

"Is there something wrong, honey?", dad asked to the little girl, who pinched the potatoes and let them fall from the fork to the plate.

"Oh, it's nothing, dear father", she answered politely, her eyes stuck on the food she was playing with.

"Are you sure, dear? You seemed so happy when coming here with Ms. Pinger, but now you seem a bit down. Are you getting sick?"

"No, nothing like that, father!" She responded, letting the food be and looking at the uniformed man sitting at the head of the table.

"What is it, then?" He kept probing, a bit worried.

"Well… I saw some people at the city… A family. They were poor".

"Were they German?" He asked almost instantly, a little distrustful.

"I'm not sure, but they seemed like good people. Car-I mean, Ms. Pinger saw them too. Right, ma'am?"

She put her fingers on her chin, as her eyes wandered to the ceiling. The memory came to her a second or two after.

"Oh right, that family! They seemed alright, if impoverished, as your daughter says, Mr. Loewe".

He seemed a little calmer now. He was kinda pleased, even. Such compassion for the unfortunate people of her nation! She'd be a fine woman one day, he thought.

"I see. And you were getting money for the Winter Relief, right? The call of duty, I can see there".

Lola doubted a little. Although flattered her dad would think so highly of her, she couldn't lie to him.

"See, dear father, it wasn't exactly that what made me think of them…"

"Oh? What is it then, dear?"

"When I saw them, I saw a girl too, I'm assuming one of the children. And that girl, aside her attire and her hygiene... She looked a lot like me. More like, she was identical, save for maybe her haircut or the dirt on her cheeks".

Mr. Loewe turns to an almost dead silence and a dead serious face. Ms. Pinger looked at both the little girl and the uniformed man with a confused expression. She tried to remember a little better that one family they saw. That girl did looked familiar, but she didn't put much attention to draw any similarities to Lola, aside the blond hair and fair skin.

Mr. Loewe still didn't say anything. He was contemplating the distance, his view going further than the walls of the dining room. Ms. Pinger was getting a little bit worried. She didn't see what was so important about this revelation. A lot of kids look similar, right? Maybe that one family got as lucky as Mr. Loewe and had a perfect Aryan girl as offspring. If anything, that should be a good thing. But suddenly, Ms. Pinger would feel a tad dumb for not making a connection sooner.

A pole family.

Mr. Loewe finally reacted, standing up from the table.

"Sorry, dear, I…" He stops for a second, trying to find an excuse. "I have something to do. Ms. Pinger, could you help me, please?"

Ms. Pinger stood up as well, quickly, and followed Mr. Loewe's steps to his personal office, leaving Lola completely confused. The poor girl couldn't do more than start playing with her food again, as she waited for her father and instructor to come back.

Ms. Pinger was a little bit afraid. She didn't know the reasons, but she was aware of how Mr. Loewe got when he's upset. He went inside his office in a hurry, almost instantly grabbing a crystal bottle and a glass where he poured a strong liquor for himself. Ms. Pinger entered and closed the door behind her, as she leaned over it, hands on her back. He wasn't looking at her, his back turned on her.

"Carol", he started saying. He called her by her name when they weren't with Lola. "Where did you see that family?"

"I… I don't remember the directions, Mr. Loewe", she answered, stuttering. She never talked to him by his first name. "I know it was in the inner city, where many German families were getting relocated…"

"What was happening in that house? Did you see anything?"

"I saw two policemen questioning a man and a woman, some kids playing in the yard… I didn't pay much attention to them".

The man chugged down the glass, as he poured more alcohol into it. His tone was severe and somewhat angry, his movements almost mechanic. As much as he tried to show himself collected, Ms. Pinger knew him too well to not notice his mood.

"Mr. Loewe, can I know what about this situation upsets you?".

"Shut up".

His sudden burst scared her. He never laid a hand on her, and he was always respectful, but she knew he wasn't a man with patience.

He sighed, turning back to her this time, just after drinking again and leaving the empty glass on the desk.

"I'm sorry, Carol", he apologized, getting closer to her. Ms. Pinger was quite tall, but Mr. Loewe still towered over her. "I don't know if I should tell you, but you've been helping Lola and I for so long,.."

He stops, clearing his throat, more as a gesture to show what he's going to say it's not to be taken lightly.

"This conversation never happened. Do you understand, Carol?"

She just nods, avoiding eye contact. She's not sure to want to know what secrets Mr. Loewe had to say, but in a way, she felt very responsible. He was right, she has been a part of that family ever since he brought Lola to the Young Girls' League.

He walks away from her again, wandering around his office, hands behind his back, as he starts talking about old wounds.

"Before I lost my dear wife", he confesses, not stopping his incessant perambulation, "We were trying to have a child. I wanted to adopt a girl in her memory".

Ms. Pinger still had her guard up. She was tense. She didn't know what he was going to with all of this, but she wasn't sure of wanting to know.

"Even though I was a widower, I could adopt a child thanks to a few contacts. Being in my position in the Gestapo also helped. However…"

He turned back to Ms. Pinger, making eye contact. She could see his intense blue eyes. She didn't notice before how different they were from his daughter's.

"Lola came to me thanks to those friends. I was ecstatic, so much I never questioned from where she came from. That is, until I came to Danzig…"

She has heard about some cases, but she didn't know it was as real as Mr. Loewe was implying. Certainly, there were some harsh truths to tolerate under the Reich.

"Usually, the kids they get to relocate to German families were German as well. but in this case…"

"Please, stop".

"I have to tell you this, Carol", he insists, looking at her again, as he reaches for her hand. "You've been such a great woman. To me, to Lola, to us as a family. You have to know. I can't carry this burden anymore".

He got very close to her, as he held her soft hand firmly.

"She can't know. I know she has learned to be German. She's as pure as any of us, anybody can see that, but if she knows, or the other family knows about her…"

"Mr. Loewe… Please…"

He was clenching his hand, almost hurting her. He lets her go, as she caresses her hand. He was a strong man. She could feel the pressure on her bones. He grabbed her shoulders instead, getting his face so close to her. She could feel his warmth over her, almost… But he backs out, putting his hands behind his back.

"Carol, I need your cooperation from now on in this matter. Do you understand?".

"I do, Mr. Loewe, but… What do you want to do about this, exactly? Don't you plan to make the family…?"

"No, no, nothing like that!" He exclaimed, getting ahead to her words. "We'll be leaving Danzig sooner than expected. The family doesn't have to know we were here, and Lola doesn't have to know anything about them anymore. But I require you to make sure that, until we leave, Lola does NOT get any close to them".

Ms. Pinger felt very nervous He knew how Mr. Loewe was when a problem needed a final solution.

"If I may, what would you do if Lola knows anything about this, or somehow gets too close to them?"

Mr. Loewe didn't answer with anything more than a stare that could kill a man with its piercing concentration. Ms. Pinger gulped, and decided to not ask further.

"I'd do anything for my little girl" he said, walking to the door, "And I'd ask you to have the same disposition".

Ms. Pinger didn't say more. A powerful sense of dread loomed over her. She walked out of the office as soon as Mr. Loewe opened the door, walked through the hallways, and left the building, completely ignoring the warm goodbye of little Lola Loewe, the purest Aryan girl to come from the Lebensborn program.


	2. II

Ms. Pinger knew about the Lebensborn. A friend in the League told her about it, how she had to "convince" some of the older girls to "spend some time" with Schutzstaffel people. Their offspring with them would be well fed, have a good home, good healthcare and be educated with German values. But as pure as the German blood from those girls was, the numbers were not enough. She only heard rumors of kids coming to the houses where the selected lived, their origins unknown. Of course, all this was so out of her concerns, she never thought such a reality would be so close to her.

She started feeling a bit paranoid. She saw the faces of the other girls of her group in her photos. Which girls were actually German? This one might be Norwegian. Or is she from Russia? A Czechoslovak here, maybe? Could anybody actually tell the difference from anybody coming from Germany or another country? Were there any actual differences? The most perfect Aryan she has ever seen is little Lola Loewe, daughter of an important member of the Gestapo. To think the little girl wasn't from the same land as her was at the very least disturbing.

"But she is German!" Ms. Pinger said to herself, in her mind. "She is so respectful, so dedicated to our nation! Does it matter the land she was born into isn't my same ancestral ground?"

Her thoughts would soon be overshadowed by the melody of that sweet girl's voice, putting herself before the doubts clouding Ms. Pinger's mind.

"Ms. Pinger, are you alright?" Lola asked, seeing her instructor frozen in her seat; pen in hand and a blank paper.

Ms. Pinger snapped out of her trance, seeing the Reichsmarks over the table they were counting from yesterday's campaign, all the money that would go to the Winter Relief.

"Sorry, dear. I think I lost count", Ms. Pinger says to throw the little girl off. "And remember, you can call me Carol when we're alone".

"Well, if I may say so, Miss… I mean, Carol… You seem a bit troubled. You've lost count three times already".

"Oh, it always happens to me when I count money!" She excuses herself. "I'll just start again".

She actually had counted the money two times, without a miss. And then a third…

"One, two, three…" She says aloud.

The cute little girl seemed to believe the lie, and kept on counting her own stash of coins. She organized the Reichsmarks in piles of ten coins each, and then prepare a little paper strip to tie them up nicely and label them. She was very meticulous, careful and graceful on every movement, from the very placement of her hand over the currency to the exact calligraphy.

How could this little girl not be German, being so perfect?

Ms. Pinger excused herself out to have a breather. She couldn't stand to be close to Lola at that moment; even though she still loved her company, the conflicting thoughts messed with her mind, with her beliefs. The mere presence of the little girl was unsettling now, and she hated that feeling.

She looked out at the city from the balcony of that building. She could see the whole city under remodelation, all the people working hard on bringing Danzig up from its very ashes. From that building she could too see the house where that family was. She couldn't see the people; maybe they were all inside, or maybe all of them out. Ms. Pinger felt like she needed to go there, to know what was happening. Maybe if she knew how the family was she would be assured that Lola was better off as the little child of an important and rich man rather than a family of poor poles in a city that wasn't theirs. Of course it was better! It's better to take the kid from a doomed present and place them where they'd have a glorious future! A golden ore shouldn't be lost in the rubble just because it was unearthed from the same mine! Isn't that right? Isn't it completely right to do that?

Is it right to take a little kid from their family's embrace?

She shook her head, like trying to shake the very thoughts out of her mind. There is surely a good justification for this. She just couldn't find it right now, she just couldn't understand how is it even possible to call it reasonable yet. She'd find an answer in her heart; she knew it was for a greater cause. She could only not stop herself from feeling terrible about it.

She went back to the room, finding all the money nicely organized by value, tied and labeled.

"Everything's done, Carol!" Lola said, with a wide, pearly white smile drawn on her face, accentuated with her rosy cheeks.

Ms. Pinger gave the little Aryan girl an approving nod, burying her conflicting thoughts. Seeing the girl smile was enough to keep them away.

"Well done, Lola!" She congratulates the Jungmadel, grabbing all the money and putting it inside her purse. "This will help a lot when we get back to Berlin!"

"I heard father say we would go back sooner, is that right?" She asked. "Father said you talked it over with him".

"Oh, yes, yes" The instructor said to her pupil. "It depends on him, however, but we won't stay in Danzig as long as we had planned first".

"That's too bad, I wanted to see more of the city with you!"

Her smile hurt. Ms. Pinger agreed silently. Spending time with her was something she loved; ever since she came with her father to the League to participate, or when she and Mr. Loewe started to be… better acquainted. Carol had a liking for her. They really clicked in a way she didn't expect to care for any of the other girls; she felt the need to be a figure she could look up to, be an example, someone that would care for her. Not that her father was all that bad, but she felt she needed someone else to nurture her, maybe like a big sister, or a mother.

"You know… We could take a stroll through the city right now" Carol said.

"Really?" Lola said, excited.

"Sure! We don't have much more to do if we'll go back to Berlin soon…" She explained, getting closer to the little girl and extending a hand to her. "And we don't need to always be working. There is time for leisure".

Lola doesn't answer with anything else than a big smile filled with glee, grabbing the hand of her instructor almost instantly.

"Where will we go?" Lola asked to Carol, her perfectly blue eyes looking at her instructor with excitement.

"Oh, we'll just go to wherever our feet guide us" She answered, grabbing the bag where the money was.

As long as they avoided going in the direction of that family's house, everything would be alright. Carol wanted to relax, and the best way to do so is spending time with her favorite girl.

They walked the streets of Danzig, sightseeing the architecture that was still up and the many workers helping the city to stand back on its feet. Carol liked to see people working; it assured her everything was working, that everything was OK with the Reich. People working meant a thriving empire, because work is what keeps the world moving, what created all the things worth living for; and the German people were very hard workers, they deserve a good place. People need to work under the Reich if they wanted to see its glory. Work is what you need to be productive to society. Work will set you free.

A little tug on her hand pulled Carol out of her thoughts, Lola was pointing at a bakery, with many kinds of pastries and delicatessen on display. She had those puppy eyes Carol couldn't resist. She just sighed and rolled her eyes, searching in her purse.

"Now where do I have my money…" She asked to herself.

"Can't you use some of the money we got for the Winter Relief? Nobody will miss a couple of marks, right?" Lola asked, a bit hurried. She really wanted that enticing Berliner she could smell from the outside.

"Now now, that money isn't ours. It's for the people in need", Carol reminded the little girl. "Be patient…"

Carol finally finds her own money in one of the many pockets, enough for a dessert. They go into the store and their nostrils are filled with the many sweet smells coming from the ovens. Strudels, Berliners, Donauwelles, Stollen, and so many other things that made their mouths water, freshly baked and ready to serve. The man in the counter, fat and jolly, welcomed with open arms the two beautiful girls that entered the store.

"Welcome! You're lucky, I just came back from Frankfurt, so everything is freshly baked! And at a good price too!"

They took their time choosing their desserts, looking at every single piece of Küchen attentively, like it was such an important decision. They just enjoyed looking at the delicious pastries. Lola was really tempted to go for the Berliner; they were always her favorite. However, she couldn't decide between the wide variety of delicious foodstuffs she could pick. Carol didn't really care, she'd just pick whatever her favorite girl wanted. For a fleeting moment, seeing little Lola Loewe looking at the various cakes took her mind off the troubles and worries. But a quick turn to the outside let her see by the corner of her eye a girl much like Lola, with twin pigtails keeping her messy and dirty hair in place, using untidy and patched clothes, looking inside the store.

Why was that kid there? Carol felt a bit panicked. She couldn't let Lola see her, she can't be close to that other girl. Mr. Loewe was categorical in his order. Knowing the origin of his little daughter could mean that the family would try to get her back. Lola was better off with him. she rationalized, so it's better not to risk it. Maybe she could shoo the little girl away?

She let Lola keep wondering what dessert to pick, and gave her money for whenever she decided for the Berliner Carol knew she'd buy. She excused herself out, to see that little girl peeking off the window face to face. Whatever worked to make her go away.

"What are you doing here?" She asks upfront to the little girl, severely. She didn't want to be that bad to her, especially to someone that reminded her to her favorite girl so much.

The little unkempt girl turned to the tall lady affronting her. She shrunk a little, scratching her head, a bit confused on to why the confrontation.

"Sorry" She apologized, not really sure if she had any reason to. "I just want to… Uhm…"

She didn't seem to have a good grasp in German. It showed in her accent and diction.

"I'm hungry but no… No money and…"

"Where are your parents?" Carol asked, this time a bit less strong. She was starting to feel bad for the kid.

"They said they'd come back" She said, looking down.

Carol stood silent.

"Can you spare a coin or two? My siblings need to eat too…"

Carol almost mechanically searched for a couple of coins in her bag, but she didn't have much of her own, and she might need some of it later. However, she did have more money, although not technically hers.

"I might have something…"

She took one of the stacks of lower denomination of the money they had for the Winter Relief and gave it to the little girl. She looked at it a bit confused, not knowing exactly what it was.

"It should be enough for you and your family".

"Thanks lady!" The little girl asked with a smile on her face, one that was as beautiful as little Lola Loewe. "I appreciate it".

"Don't mention it" Carol said, hiding her emotions. "What's your name, little girl?"

"I'm Lana Los, lady".

"Pleased to meet you, Lana. Now leave. You can't be here".

"Why not?"

"Carol, I bought Berliners!" Carol can hear from inside the store.

"Just leave!" She pressures little Lana Los, almost grinding her teeth.

The little girl leaves a bit weirded out, but still thankful, waving her little hand to the Jungmadelbund instructor. She pretended to not care, like that didn't happen, that she didn't see that little girl in her life, that she will never see her again, that she didn't break her heart.

"Carol? What happened?" Lola asked to her instructor.

Carol got a bit surprised by the perfect Aryan girl, holding two Berliners in her tiny hands, looking at her instructor with wonder.

"I just… gave…"

Carol wanted to tell her favorite girl about this other kid, let her know about who could be her sister. She didn't know if she could live forever hiding her little dear Lola Loewe about the little orphan Lana Los.

But she couldn't.

"I gave money to someone in need".


	3. III

"I saw the little girl yesterday" Carol said to Mr. Loewe.

"What girl?" He said, adjusting his uniform, looking at the mirror.

"Her name was Lana. Her eyes were so pretty…"

"Lana?" The man repeats, turning around to see Carol directly, who was putting her tie back. "Who is this Lana?"

"Being from the Gestapo and so close to the family, I would think you'd know… Lana Los, a little girl that lives here".

Mr. Loewe didn't say a word, looking somewhere else, continuing his morning routine.

"Where are her parents?"

"I don't know". He deadpanned, finishing the last touches of his uniform.

"I see".

Carol didn't know if to be that upfront against him. She was almost sure he was lying; his office is very well known for being excellent at keeping track of every movement of everyone they wanted to track, wherever they were in. But maybe she was pushing it with her inquiries, and Mr. Loewe's temperament wasn't one to play with.

She didn't know how she felt about Mr. Loewe. She respected him, she felt something more than that inside her even, something she didn't dare to name; but learning about the little girl wandering the streets has made her think in too many things at once. The things she believed before had a ricketier ground than she thought. The absolute truths, although harsh, were convincing. She heard things, and she justified them even, for a greater good. They were destined to rule. Other people deserved to be forgotten, to be erased. After looking to that orphan in the eyes, the corpses that made the foundation of her beliefs tried to shake them down.

"Did Lola see her?" Mr. Loewe asked, as neutral as he could, putting on his hat, looking at the mirror.

"No".

"Good".

Carol continued adjusting her own uniform, getting ready to go out once again with Lola. They still had one more day before leaving Danzig, and maybe some sightseeing would be a good way to spend the remaining hours.

"Will you go out with Lola again?" Mr. Loewe asks, sternly

"That is the plan" Carol answers. "Is there a problem with it?".

Mr. Loewe remains silent for a few seconds, That silence was enough for Carol to doubt her confrontational phrasing and become afraid of the response she'd get.

"You know they can't see each other. That little… Girl…"

The pause he made caught Carol by surprise. Was he referring to the polish girl? Why do it that way? Wasn't she the same blood as her daughter?

"Lola is nothing like them" He expresses, like he was reading the young instructor's mind. "Lola is a proud German girl, the poles aren't. She shouldn't mingle with inferior people. Do you understand?"

"Lola likes Danzig. She likes to see the city and how everyone works to make this place be a rightful part of the Reich" Carol explained, trying to convince the man to let her go out. "Why should she spend the last day here being bored in her room, doing nothing until we're back to Berlin?"

Mr. Loewe stared at her severely. The Gestapo officer didn't seem to take the very mild talkback in a good light. His frown was almost deadly, the Jungmadelbund instructor felt his eyes concentrating on hers, inspiring fear. For a moment, she questioned his intentions with her.

He walked towards the young woman, making her step back just a little bit. He grabs her tie firmly. Carol slightly whimpered as he tightened that piece of her uniform.

"It wasn't tight enough" He said, walking away right after and going to his night table, picking up a few things.

"You can go out if you want. But no matter what happens, if you see anybody from that family, you turn back and leave. We can't have any problems before going to Berlin. After all, we came here just for business, nothing else".

He turned one last time to Carol. Although his demeanor seemed calm, Carol could feel something more. He acted serious at times, but not very often in a way that she would find unnerving. This was such a moment.

"Understood?"

Carol only nods silently.

"Good. Now let's have some breakfast. I called someone to bring us something nice to start the day. Apparently there was a bakery near".

He walked out the room, leaving Carol pensive, standing in front of the mirror she was using to prepare herself. She held the tie of her uniform for a moment, and then loosened it, just a bit.

It was too tight.

The breakfast was sweet, with many pastries. Lola loved the Berliners, being her favorite kind. She seemed to be the only one happy in that table, however. Carol was silent the whole meal, only responding to direct questions. The little girl asked her instructor about the things they'd do when they were back in Berlin, and she'd answer quietly and shortly about knitting or cooking. When her dad asked if they needed any money to go out, she'd answer with a very exact amount of Reichmarks. Even if the Berliners were as sweet and creamy as the ones Lola had at that bakery the day before, they were a bit unsavory with the mood that surrounded her. Even if she was young and not mature enough, she could sense something happened between Carol and her father.

She didn't quite understand if Mr. Loewe liked Carol or not. She hoped he did, Lola really liked the company of her instructor, and they were oddly close, but days like these would make her doubt it.

Once the Jüngmadelbund instructor finished her own meal, she stood up and directed her words directly to her trainee.

"I'll get ready to go out, Lola. You do the same once you're finished, OK?" She said, in the sweetest voice her current semblance could muster.

"Yes, Ms. Pinger" She answered obediently, finishing her own meal shortly.

Carol leaves the room, barely acknowledging Mr. Loewe on her way out. It's only Lola and her father, who already finished his own breakfast, but was still sitting there, reading the newspaper. Although the city was still in reconstruction, the newspaper was still delivered on time, especially for officials of the government.

"So you'll go out with Ms. Pinger today, right?"

"Yes, father".

"Do you like Danzig?"

"Well, it looks like the town has gone through hardships…"

"Necessary for the future of the Reich".

"I know, father".

"Well, I hope you enjoy your last walk around these streets, my dear. Just be careful of its people".

Lola reacted tilting her head a bit, like a confused puppy.

"Why do you say so, father?"

"The polish… They're not the best of people. Some are fine, but…"

Lola didn't really think on the people populating Danzig. She assumed, considering the Reich annexed the city as part of it, the people who lived there would be as German as anybody. Was there really a distinction?

"Many of them are pigs. Dirty, lazy, inept. They'll ask for money instead of working for it, every time".

"I saw many poor people in the streets while collecting money for the Winter Relief. They ask for money too".

Mr. Loewe smirked at that remark. Lola wasn't uncritical in her thinking, but to him, she was also inexperienced. She didn't know the inferior people as well as he did.

"Of course, dear" He said. "But that money is for the Germans who have been struck by misfortune; the poles prefer to be poor on the streets than earning their money with hard work".

Lola stood silent, digesting her dad's words. She didn't know what to think.

"Of course, you're an example for everyone, a beautiful and hard-working little girl. So I'd like you stay that way and don't talk with others. Stay close to Ms. Pinger and don't talk to anybody. Understood?"

Her father wouldn't give her much orders, usually, even if Lola was obedient and never contested it. However, as she's used to, she accepted the order without hesitation, nodding at him. He looked pleased.

"Go prepare yourself. Don't keep your instructor waiting".

There was a lot to see in Danzig, even in its state of disrepair. The plaza, the many stores, slowly opening after the troubled days of annexation, the people working tirelessly to bring it back to glory, the people walking around, this time without fear of war, although maybe with a certain dread caused by the change in the uniforms of their officers. Of course, little Lola Loewe wouldn't notice that kind of things. She was too concentrated on spending the last day in this city with her favorite person in the world. They would walk and see the sights of a town being rebuilt, the people talking and laughing, kids playing on the streets and the plaza.

Carol was a lot less enthusiastic. The talk with Mr. Loewe was still weighing down her spirits, and even if her favorite girl was with her, she couldn't shake off certain feelings and certain thoughts caused by his words. The feelings that man provoked in her were all so confusing, a mix of respect and even a certain word she couldn't muster even to herself, but slowly that respect transformed into fear. She feared what he'd do to her, what he'd do to the little Lana Los if he saw her.

"Carol, can you buy me this?" She heard suddenly, turning to see her little girl holding a small doll made of fabric and wool, with a cute little dress.

For a moment, Carol Pinger managed to snap out of it. She smiled at Lola, looking at her pretty blue eyes and her smile with a missing tooth. She was putting the best face to beg for things.

"How much does it cost?" Carol asked.

"The lady said only twenty marks since I'm so cute!" She proudly announced. If there's one thing she always was confident on, it was her beauty.

Carol giggled, searching for the money in her purse. Twenty marks was a good price for a small doll. It looked unique as well, something not seen as commonly as before with the modernity over everyone's shoulders.

The transaction was done, and the pearly white smile of the little girl gets even wider. She hugged her instructor with great joy, something that warmed Carol's troubled heart. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea to spend the last day in Danzig like this.

Or so she thought, for a very short time.

Walking around the streets, they stumbled upon the same street where the bakery was. Except there was no bakery anymore. Only a broken window, a closed door, and four letters painted on it.

Jude.

Lola recognized the place. The smell of delicious pastries was still in the air, like the ovens were used just recently for baking them.

"I thought he was German…" Lola murmured, disappointed.

Even if the enemies of the Reich are taught in schools and talked about often, in very few occasions a kid would be told why. Much less, how many of these "enemies" have always lived in Germany, for as long as her, for as long as Carol herself. That wasn't a thing she was qualified to talk about, nor something she could explain to herself with the same confidence she had just a week ago.

"Come on, let's not stay here" Carol managed to muster, pulling the little girl from her arm.

As they walked forward, however, they would hear a lot more murmur and talk. They'd see more people there. Words being exchanged loudly, one asking for mercy and forgiveness, others asking to "accompany them to the offices", and many people agglomerated, curious of the outcome. Carol didn't want to deal with this, much less with the warning she received from Mr. Loewe. They couldn't be between this many people.

The townsfolk, however, would keep coming, forming a crowd too dense to walk properly around. There was no easy exit in this small street anymore. Carol held Lola's hand tightly, as they walked against the flow of the mob, those derided by the sons and daughters of the Reich as "swine", looking at how the Aryans dealt with the "vermin". How nobody would do anything to stop it, looking in fear and awe how one more was dragged to an uncertain future.

The crowd was too impenetrable, and Carol's pace was getting too fast for little Lola Loewe. In the middle of it, she let go off her new doll accidentally. She tried to look back, see where it fell, but Carol kept pulling her.

"Carol!" She said, trying to be louder than the gathering. "Carol! My doll!"

Carol kept going, not wanting to be there. Her beliefs were shaken already too much to be there. Once they were in Berlin, she'd concentrate on being a good instructor for the Jüngmadelbund, for all those girls being raised to be good mothers, good sisters, good women. To reinforce their roles in the Reich, to make them docile so they became the broodmares the Reich wanted every woman to be.

Her thoughts were so clouded by contradictions, she didn't notice in time when she wasn't holding the hand of little Lola Loewe anymore.

"Lola?"

She wasn't there anymore. She was in the crowd, looking for her lost doll, looking at the ground for that little trinket, a little show of love Carol got for her. She'd get out of the crowd once she found it, she knew her way. She was a Jüngmadel, she learned to be resourceful. She found it, she saw it, but someone else was picking it up. A dirty hand, but one that looked much like hers. She looked up, to see a dirty face, that looked much like hers. A pair of clear blue eyes, much like hers.

"Is this yours?" She asks, before looking back at the Jüngmadel.

The little dirty girl looks at Lola with the same wonder Lola looked at her. Even tilting her head, like a confused puppy.

"Lola?"


End file.
